Pacific Research Institute

The Pacific Research Institute (PRI) or officially the 'Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy', is a think tank founded in 1979 whose stated vision is the promotion of "the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility. The Institute believes these principles are best encouraged through policies that emphasize a free economy, private initiative, and limited government." The institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, and had $4.9M in revenue in 2005. The Pacific Research Institute has associated with other think-tanks like the American Enterprise Institute and the Cato Institute.


 * Former President - William H. Mellor

PRI and the tobacco industry
In February 1987 Philip Morris executive Roy E. Marden sent a memo to other PM staff following a discussion with the then PRI President Chip Mellor "concerning their project on advertising and the market process". Marden noted the project was partially funded by Philip Morris".

In 1998 Philip Morris was canvassing possible organizations that might be an ally in its Youth Smoking Prevention programs. A memo from Roy Marden described the Pacific Research Institute as "I am vice chairman of this SF policy group. They have recently begun an effort on child development/reduction of welfare dependency/etc., & I could explore with them if/where YSP could be involved. We are long-time donors".

PRI and Healthcare
PRI head Sally Pipes, a Canadian residing in the United States, frequently speaks and writes against universal health care. Her bio lists as healthcare topics she had addressed "the false promise of a single-payer system as exists in Canada, pharmaceutical pricing, solving the problem of the uninsured, and strategies for consumer-driven health care." She also authored a 2004 book titled, "Miracle Cure: How to Solve America’s Health Care Crisis and Why Canada Isn’t the Answer." 

On the FOX News show "The O'Reilly Factor" on January 10, 2007, Pipes spoke against California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to provide all state residents with healthcare. She warned that, "[I]f we provide health insurance, just like we provide welfare and education for illegal aliens, think about people that are illegal in other states. We're going to get a huge influx of illegal immigrants into California. And that's going to make it even more expensive [than the current system]." 

PRI and Water Policy
PRI is based out of California, and has been involved in the water policy debate in that state. A publication released by PRI in December of 2008 suggested that the "problem for California is not lack of [water] supply but uneven distribution." PRI criticized California's current plan for facilitating distribution, which was based on state funded water projects. Instead, PRI suggested that distribution would be more properly managed through water markets, with consumers paying for water as any other consumable good.

Areas of work
The PRI think tank lists the following as their goals:
 * Education – to provide all students with access to a quality education
 * Business and Economics – to strike down barriers to economic growth and innovation
 * Health Care – to provide better quality and access to health-care while lowering costs
 * Technology – to identify and limit harmful government regulation in the technology sector
 * Environment – to sustain the trend toward a cleaner environment

They said these were their accomplishments in 2006:
 * Reached an audience of more than 475 million through print and online outlets throughout the year
 * On average, more than 100 articles citing PRI’s research published each month, 1,254 in total
 * Articles placed in all of the top 10 daily newspapers in the nation and in all papers nationwide, including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.
 * Website page visits totaled over half a million, with 1.3 million pages viewed
 * Reached more than 40 million through radio and television nationwide

Staff

 * Sonia Arrison, Senior Fellow, Technology Studies
 * K. Lloyd Billingsley, Editorial Director
 * Cindy Chin, Events Manager
 * Jason Clemens, Director of Research, Strategic Planning, and Budgeting
 * Karen Chreston, Vice President of Finance and Administration
 * Adam Frey, Policy Fellow, General Studies
 * John R. Graham, Director, Health Care Studies
 * Steven F. Hayward, Senior Fellow, Environmental Studies
 * Rowena Itchon, Vice President for Marketing
 * Lance Izumi, J.D., Director, Education Studies; Senior Fellow in California Studies
 * Amy Kaleita, Policy Fellow, Environmental Studies
 * Nomi Deutch, Associate Director for Marketing
 * Lawrence J. McQuillan, Ph.D., Director, Business and Economic Studies
 * Vicki E. Murray, Ph.D., Senior Policy Fellow, Education Studies
 * Sally C. Pipes, President and CEO

Former staff

 * Daniel R. Ballon, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Technology Studies

Board of Directors

 * Clark S. Judge, Chairman, Managing Director, White House Writers Group
 * Sally C. Pipes, President & CEO, Pacific Research Institute
 * F. Christian Wignall, Vice Chairman, Capstan, LLC
 * Thomas C. Magowan, Secretary/Treasurer, Club Minibar, Inc.
 * Katherine H. Alden, Owner Woodside Hotels & Resorts
 * Katherine E. Boyd, Interior Designer
 * Robert J. Ernst, Attorney at Law
 * James T. Farrell, Principal, The Fremont Group
 * Peter C. Farrell, Ph.D., AM, President and CEO, ResMed
 * James B. Hawkins, President & CEO, Natus Medical, Inc.
 * Christine Hughes
 * Nersi Nazari, Pacific General Ventures, The Hasbun Nazari Charitable Trust
 * Daniel Oliver, Chairman Emeritus
 * Jean R. Wente, Wente Vineyards
 * Christopher Wright, Founder, Pinnacle Technologies

Former Board Members

 * Lisa Guillermin Gable Emeritus
 * Samuel H. Husbands, Jr. Emeritus
 * David H. Keyston Emeritus
 * Francis A. O'Connell Emeritus

Funding
According to Media Transparency, PRI obtained 117 grants totalling $8,904,800 (unadjusted for inflation) from foundations between 1985 and 2005.

In 2003 PRI states that 50% of its income came from foundations, 13% from corporations and the remainder from individuals. It lists foundation and corporate supporters who contributed over $10,000 in the 2003 financial year as:

Corporations

 * Altria
 * ChevronTexaco
 * Cypress Semiconductor
 * Exxon Mobil Corporation
 * Freedom Communications
 * Microsoft
 * Pfizer
 * PhRMA
 * SBC (now AT&T)
 * Verizon
 * White House Writers Group

Foundations

 * Anschutz Foundation
 * Bernard Lee Schwartz Foundation
 * Capecchio Foundation
 * Center for American Unity
 * Charles G. Koch Foundation
 * Chase Foundation of Virginia
 * D & DF Foundation
 * D & D Foundation
 * David and Annette Jorgensen Foundation
 * Dean Witter Foundation
 * Earhart Foundation
 * Farrell Family Foundation
 * Girard foundation
 * Hugh & Hazel Darling Foundation
 * Lilly Endowment
 * Lynder and Harry Bradley Foundation
 * Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation
 * Philip M. McKenna Foundation
 * Ruth & Lovett Peters Foundation
 * Sarah Scaife Foundation
 * Templeton Foundation
 * The Gleason Foundation
 * The Hickory Foundation
 * The Little River Foundation
 * The San Francisco Foundation
 * Walton family Foundation
 * Weiler Foundation
 * William E. Simon Foundation
 * William H. Donner Foundation

The conservative Capital Research Center (CRC) Spotlight project provides some additional, though a little dated, information on PRI's major funders. CRC lists the Lilly Endowment as having contributed $175,000 annually between 1999 and 2002 (inclusive). 

Contact Details
San Francisco Headquarters 755 Sansome Street, Suite 450 San Francisco, CA 94111 Tel 415-989-0833 Fax 415-989-2411 Web:http://www.pacificresearch.org/

Case Studies

 * Center for Medicines in the Public Interest

SourceWatch Resources

 * Think tanks